{"id":1382335,"date":"2021-07-06T18:54:09","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T22:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1382335"},"modified":"2021-07-06T18:54:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T22:54:10","slug":"katie-ledecky-michael-jordan-shared-cutest-imaginable-moment-long-before-olympic-stardom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/katie-ledecky-michael-jordan-shared-cutest-imaginable-moment-long-before-olympic-stardom\/","title":{"rendered":"Katie Ledecky and Michael Jordan Shared the Cutest Imaginable Moment Long Before Her Olympic Stardom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When most Americans first saw <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/swimmer-katie-ledecky-bides-her-time-with-chocolate-milk-as-she-waits-out-the-olympics\/\">Katie Ledecky<\/a>, she was a steely-nerved 15-year-old swimming to gold in the 2012 London Olympics. She won the 800-meter freestyle going away and harvested four more golds at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Little did we know that she foreshadowed that sort of determination by playing peekaboo with <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/michael-jordan\/\">Michael Jordan<\/a> as a toddler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-katie-ledecky-will-be-must-see-tv-at-the-tokyo-olympics\"><strong>Katie Ledecky will be must-see TV at the Tokyo Olympics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1035\" src=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky-1.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=707&#038;strip=all&#038;quality=89\" alt=\"Katie Ledecky reacts after winning the 800-meter freestyle final during the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 19, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. | Al Bello\/Getty Images\" class=\"wp-image-1382344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky-1.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky-1.jpg?w=300&amp;h=207 300w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky-1.jpg?w=768&amp;h=530 768w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky-1.jpg?w=1024&amp;h=707 1024w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky-1.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=828 1200w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky-1.jpg?w=87&amp;h=60 87w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><figcaption>Katie Ledecky reacts after winning the 800-meter freestyle final during the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 19, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. | Al Bello\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The pandemic-triggered delay for the <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/will-the-tokyo-olympics-really-happen-in-2021-the-nbas-bubble-model-could-help\/\">Tokyo Olympics<\/a> was no obstacle for Ledecky as she showed her usual dominating form at the U.S. trials early this summer. She qualified first for Tokyo in the 200, 400, 800, and 1,500 freestyles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ledecky was particularly impressive in capturing the 200 and 1,500 crowns just 90 minutes apart, and the latter event is one that could put her in the books as a pioneer. That\u2019s because the women\u2019s 1,500 was never an Olympic event before this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamusa.org\/News\/2021\/May\/21\/Can-Katie-Ledecky-Become-A-10-Time-Olympic-Gold-Medalist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four individual freestyles plus a relay<\/a> assignment, she has a shot at the sort of medal haul in Tokyo that will have sports fans thinking about more than just Team USA in men\u2019s basketball and women\u2019s soccer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-did-michael-jordan-end-up-playing-peekaboo-with-katie-ledecky\"><strong>How did Michael Jordan end up playing peekaboo with Katie Ledecky?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Grabbing my popcorn for tonight&#39;s episodes of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TheLastDance?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TheLastDance<\/a>. I can tell you one thing about Michael Jordan: he&#39;s a tough peek-a-boo player but he didn&#39;t stand a chance against my popcorn. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fvAWlzNhuQ\">pic.twitter.com\/fvAWlzNhuQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/katieledecky\/status\/1254442932104335362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 26, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It went largely overlooked when she posted it, but Ledecky uploaded a piece of social-media gold last year. Fascinated by <em><a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/michael-jordans-the-last-dance-will-only-make-his-legacy-stronger\/\">The Last Dance<\/a><\/em>, the ESPN documentary series about the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls, she shared a 35-second clip of herself as a toddler, circa 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In it, Ledecky is seated in front of Jordan in the owners\u2019 box at a Washington Capitals NHL game. The connection is that Jordan was playing for the NBA\u2019s Washington Wizards at the time and the swimmer\u2019s uncle, Jon Ledecky, was a co-owner of the hockey team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jordan had already been a two-time Olympian by then, but Ledecky was still more than a decade away from her debut in London. She munched on popcorn when Jordan reached from behind to cover her eyes with his hands. Jordan repeated the move six more times, but Ledecky never flinched or looked back. She remained focused on working her way through the box of popcorn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve had that family video for years,\u201d Ledecky, now 24, told the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/07\/06\/how-olympian-katie-ledeckys-childhood-signaled-her-goat-status\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York Post<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s such a neat video, so I posted it around the time of the (ESPN) series.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her being nonplussed by such an obvious distraction turned out to be a sign of things to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy family always laughs at the fact that I\u2019ve always been relaxed in those environments, kind of \u2026 not fazed by anything,\u201d she told the newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-this-might-not-be-ledecky-s-farewell-appearance\"><strong>This might not be Ledecky\u2019s farewell appearance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Katie Ledecky clinches Olympic spot with dominating 400m freestyle win | NBC Sports\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NLRghcfe5Sk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no doubt that Ledecky could still be competitive at the age of 27, so the 2024 Olympics would seemingly be in play for her. The fact that the competition in Paris will be just three years away rather than four certainly makes it easier to stay focused and in form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, the incentive to stay in the water might not be there. With five gold medals already in the bag and shots at another five in Tokyo, she could blow away Jenny Thompson\u2019s women\u2019s swimming record of eight career golds. Ledecky is also already halfway to the 12 total medals racked up by Thompson and Dara Torres. Competing in 2024 could put her over the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The overall record for Olympic swimming golds is <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/michael-phelps-treats-body-high-performance-race-car-gaining-35-pounds-retirement\/\">Michael Phelps<\/a>\u2019 23, a number too large to ponder even for someone as talented as Ledecky. Then again, Ledecky already has a connection with another 23 \u2013 Michael Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Like <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Sports7dotcom\/\"><em>Sports7<\/em><\/a><em> on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sports719\"><em>@sports719<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/swimmer-katie-ledecky-bides-her-time-with-chocolate-milk-as-she-waits-out-the-olympics\/\">Swimmer Katie Ledecky Bides Her Time With Chocolate Milk as She Waits Out the Olympics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five-time swimming gold medalist Katie Ledecky is positioned to be one of the huge success stories of the Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":1382339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4898],"tags":[10366,4835,11071],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Katie Ledecky and Michael Jordan Shared the Cutest Imaginable Moment Long Before Her Olympic Stardom - Sports7<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Michael Jordan won two Olympic golds by the time he met a young Katie Ledecky. She has zoomed past him with five and has an eye on five more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/katie-ledecky-michael-jordan-shared-cutest-imaginable-moment-long-before-olympic-stardom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Katie Ledecky and Michael Jordan Shared the Cutest Imaginable Moment Long Before Her Olympic Stardom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michael Jordan won two Olympic golds by the time he met a young Katie Ledecky. She has zoomed past him with five and has an eye on five more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/katie-ledecky-michael-jordan-shared-cutest-imaginable-moment-long-before-olympic-stardom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-07-06T22:54:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-07-06T22:54:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1035\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John Moriello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Sports7J\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Moriello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/katie-ledecky-michael-jordan-shared-cutest-imaginable-moment-long-before-olympic-stardom\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/katie-ledecky-michael-jordan-shared-cutest-imaginable-moment-long-before-olympic-stardom\/\",\"name\":\"Katie Ledecky and Michael Jordan Shared the Cutest Imaginable Moment Long Before Her Olympic Stardom - Sports7\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/katie-ledecky-michael-jordan-shared-cutest-imaginable-moment-long-before-olympic-stardom\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/katie-ledecky-michael-jordan-shared-cutest-imaginable-moment-long-before-olympic-stardom\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Katie-Ledecky.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-06T22:54:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-07-06T22:54:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/#\/schema\/person\/625c659832a23452683545602e055cac\"},\"description\":\"Michael Jordan won two Olympic golds by the time he met a young Katie Ledecky. 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A graduate of St. John Fisher University, he finds inspiration in the underdogs and the fascinating stories sports can tell (both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat). John expertly covers all aspects of NASCAR. Beginning with his 2014 coverage at Fox Sports of the aftermath of the dirt-race tragedy in which Kevin Ward Jr. died after being struck by a car driven by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, John has excelled as a journalist who specializes in the motorsports world. He previously spent more than three decades covering high school sports and worked as a beat writer covering Big East football and basketball, but NASCAR is now where the true expertise falls. John is a member of the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame (2013), the President of the New York State Sportswriters Association, and a two-time Best of Gannett winner for print and online collaborations whose work has appeared on FoxSports.com and MaxPreps.com.\",\"sameAs\":[\"\",\"Sports7J\",\"john-moriello-1a11743\",\"\",\"\"],\"jobTitle\":\"John Moriello | Sports7 Staff Writer, Producer - Motorsports\",\"email\":\"\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Katie Ledecky and Michael Jordan Shared the Cutest Imaginable Moment Long Before Her Olympic Stardom - Sports7","description":"Michael Jordan won two Olympic golds by the time he met a young Katie Ledecky. 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